Method parameters are formally declared variables used to communicate between a program and the method it calls. They allow a method to receive a value from its calling program.

• Pattern:

  returnType methodName(parameterDeclarations) {
     statements
  }
  				

  where:
  • returnType is the type of value returned by the method or void if the method does not return a value;
  • methodName is the identifier that names method.
  • parameterDeclarations is a comma-separated list of parameter declarations of the form type identifier that is omitted if there are no parameters.
  • statements is a set of statements that define the behavior of the method.

• As an example, consider the the following definition of a computeDistance() method, which declares four parameters that it uses to work with the x-y coordinates of two points it receives from its calling program.